2. Jacques-Louis David was raised by architect uncles who, along with his mother, wanted Jacques-Louis to also become an architect. Jacques-Louis, however, wanted to be a painter, and later stated, "I was always hiding behind the instructor's chair, drawing for the duration of the class."

3. Between 1770 and 1774, Jacques-Louis David attempted each year to win the Prix de Rome, an art scholarship to the French Academy in Rome. Each year, he lost; he once attempted to starve himself to death in protest of the decision. Finally, in 1774, he won.

4. Juliette grew frustrated that Jacques-Louis worked slowly and wanted to rework her portrait, so she commissioned one of his pupils to paint her portrait instead. Jacques-Louis then told her, "Women have their whims, and so do artists; allow me to satisfy mine by keeping this portrait." The portrait was never finished.